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Sumit SinghalSumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.

RAKE Showroom in Trondheim, Norway by RAKE visningsrom

Students create showroom for art and architecture in Trondheim, Norway
The showroom RAKE is the latest addition to Trondheim’s art landscape. It is the result of a student workshop in which thirty students from the architecture schools of Trondheim, Oslo and Bergen joined forces to design and construct this new exhibition space for art and architecture.

A majority of the materials used in the construction of the room came from a nearby office building set for demolition. This reveals the theme and guiding principle behind the project: Reuse. Reuse as in using old materials, but just as importantly; when utilizing new ones, doing this in a manner that allows the process to continue.

Image Courtesy RAKE visningsrom

RAKE is the brainchild of four students from NTNU, who invited their peers to participate in their creative endeavor. These architects-in-the-making met for the first time in May, and proceeded to work out the specifics of what is now RAKE. Throughout the project Tyin Architectural Firm, architect August Schmidt and artist Charlotte Rostad were at hand to offer input and assistance.

Image Courtesy RAKE visningsrom

In August the colleagues and collaborators met again, this time hammers and nails replaced pen and paper. In twelve days they built an exhibition space which cannot help but induce curiosity; its walls consisting of two layers of reused windows, and the ceiling three layers of doors. Yet, the most unique feature of the room may be its floor, made out of massive wooden cubes crafted by a local farmer. While a number of RAKE’s features are outside the box’s, its interior space is a traditional white cube, ready to display works by both national and international artists and architects.

Image Courtesy RAKE visningsrom

Through this project the students wanted to contribute to Trondheim’s cultural scene and show that the reuse of materials can lead to a both inspirational and aesthetically pleasing construction. The showroom is run by local artists and architects, and the first show opened on the 9th of September a collaboration between architect Fredrik Lund and artist Anne-Karin Furunes.